Meeting Jupiter's Clan
by The20Oh2
Summary: Missy and Amber have been living in the mines for months, and now they finally get to meet Jupiter's Clan. LizardxBrenda, PlutoxOC, and GogglexOC.
1. Chapter 1: Arrival

Amber stumbled along next to Missy in the rain as the three mutant brothers pushed them to go faster. Well, technically only two of the mutants were shoving them. Hansel, the youngest, left them alone, throwing them sympathetic glances every once in a while. Not that Amber's friend Missy noticed. The woman seemed to have lost herself and was now just an empty shell of the vibrant woman she had once been. Hades had done that to her. Behind the two women ran Chameleon and Letch. The two brothers felt no pity for the women who had not seen daylight in what seemed weeks (it was hard to keep track of time in the mines). It had been Hansel who somehow convinced Hades to allow him to take Missy and Amber for a walk late that evening. Chameleon had demanded to go along as well, since he had claimed Amber as his mate and didn't want to let her out of his sight. Hades, not trusting Chameleon to keep his hands off Missy, had then ordered Letch to tag along and keep an eye on his older brother. And so the five of them had exited the caves and entered the cool evening air. Missy and Amber still had to have their hands tied together, but even so, it was nice to be able to simply walk.

Unfortunately, fate decided that the weather for that night would hold one of the few and far between desert rainstorms. Though rain was rare in the desert, when it came, it held nothing back. Huge droplets were pounding down on all of them and thunder was heard in the distance. They were far closer to the town that Jupiter's clan inhabited than to the mines, as Hansel had pointed out, so they were heading in that direction. Neither Missy nor Amber had ever seen a mutant from outside of Hades' clan. From what information Amber had been able to get out of Hansel, the two clans had fragile peace between them and respected each other's territories for the most part. The three mutant brothers were obviously nervous as they entered the rival clan's village. Amber's gray eyes took in the rundown homes and creepy mannequin children on the swings. Missy's eyes took in nothing but the ground beneath her feet as she ran. Currently they were running down what seemed to be the main road, if the wide dirt path could even be called a road.

"Thar," Hansel grunted, pointing out a two-story house on the left. Amber ran up the three steps onto the covered porch and stopped to catch her breath. Chameleon pushed her roughly aside and cautiously opened the door. He poked his scaly head in. Apparently seeing nothing amiss, he grabbed the rope around Amber's wrists and dragged her inside. Letch gave Missy a hard push through the door, and Hansel entered last. No one seemed to know what to do next for a few seconds. They all simply stood in the bare entryway. Amber took the opportunity to look around. Immediately in front of the door was a staircase leading up to a second floor and there was also a hallway on the right side of the stairs heading back to a closed white door. To the left, there appeared to be a sort of living room and on the right was a dining room. Amber noticed more eerily cheerful mannequins like the ones she had seen on the swings sitting around the dining table. All the chairs were used except for the one at the head of the table, like the mannequins were patiently waiting for the guest of honor to arrive. For whatever reason, that empty chair sent chills up Amber's spine.

Finally Chameleon growled to Hansel, "Go ge' Plu'o's bitch." He nodded towards the stairs. Hansel seemed apprehensive. He wrung his hands in front of him.

"Bu'… Plu'o up thar," he mumbled.

Letch snorted a laugh. "S'why we sendin' you."

Amber was curious in spite of herself. Hansel was obviously afraid of whoever Pluto was. It seemed Letch and Chameleon were too, seeing as both refused to go upstairs themselves. The only person she had ever seem the three brothers afraid of was Hades, and he scared the crap out of her too to say the least. Perhaps she should fear this unknown mutant as well. And who was "Pluto's bitch"? Were there more women trapped in the hills like Missy and herself? She'd never heard specifics about Jupiter's clan other than Chameleon's grumblings about how they took the "good hunting grounds".

Hansel swallowed his saliva and cautiously crept up the stairs, which wasn't easy for him. He wasn't exactly what anyone would call "dainty". Every time a stair creaked, which was often, he froze, but eventually he made it to the second floor. He looked down at the four of them, swallowing again, before turning to the right and disappearing behind a wall. Amber strained to hear what was happening upstairs. It seemed Chameleon and Letch were too because neither made a sound. Amber heard a door creak open slowly. A few seconds later she heard Hansel's low, grunting voice and then a softer, seemingly feminine voice responded. Amber's heart raced. It was true! There were others here like themselves. She heard Hansel and the woman converse quietly for a few moments longer. Then she heard a deep growl. That was not Hansel. Chameleon and Letch's eyes widened in fear and Amber heard Hansel whimper somewhere upstairs. Yes, they definitely afraid of Pluto. Then the woman's voice came again and the growling stopped. The two mutants let out the breath they had apparently been holding.

Metal springs creaked and two sets of footsteps could be heard padding across the floor towards the stairs. Hansel appeared first, followed by… a girl! As they came down the stairs, Amber could see her dark eyes and long, probably brown, hair. She couldn't have been more than twenty, if that. Surprisingly, the girl's eyes held no fear as she took in the two mutants, though she seemed to avoid looking at Amber and Missy.

If the girl was afraid of the mutants, it didn't show in her voice either. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"S'rainin'. Can't make i' to mines. Need t's'ay 'ere." Chameleon grumbled.

The girl gave a very unfeminine snort and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you asking me? If you want to stay, you should be shaking Papa Jupe or Big Brain awake at this ungodly hour, not me."

Chameleon paused, seemingly embarrassed at having to say what he said next. "Need ya ta as' Big Brai'. Prolly say yes if you ask 'im."

"Oh, I see. You're afraid he or Papa'll say no if you ask 'em. Figures. Why shouldn't I do the same? Better yet, why shouldn't I call Pluto down here and have him throw you out on your rear ends? You and the rest of your clan ain't ever done us any favors from what I hear."

At this, Hansel spoke up. "Rainin' real har'. Can' make i' back ta mines. N' see. Got girls wit us too. Tired. Won' make it." The girl's eyes had softened as she listened to Hansel. It seemed she had a soft spot for the kind mutant.

She sighed. "Fine. Be back in a minute," she said. She turned on her heel and padded through the living room. Opening a set of wide folding doors just enough to slip through, she disappeared into the room beyond. A soft "Big Brain, wake up" could be heard through the open door, followed by the sound of a very raspy voice. The new voice was too quiet for Amber to make out what it was saying, but apparently the girl (whom, Amber realized, she still didn't know as anything other than "Pluto's bitch") understood without a problem. The girl and the unseen Big Brain conversed in quiet whispers for a couple minutes before the girl was once again visible in the doorway.

"He says you and Letch can stay in the blue one-story across the road," she said as she made her way back through the living room.

The usually quiet Letch spoke up. "N' wha' 'bout Hans'l 'n the gir's?"

"They'll be staying in the living room," she said with a smile.

Chameleon growled, "How cum we gotta go back ou' 'n the rain?"

"Because, dearest, I don't want you smelling up the house." She smirked. "Plus, the drowned rat look suits you so well. You want to stay here? That's the deal, take it or leave it."

Chameleon glared daggers at the girl as he and Letch reluctantly retreated out the door. Amber gaped after the two mutants. No one except Hades bossed them around. If she'd ever tried to talk to Chameleon like that, she probably would have wound up unconscious on the floor of the mines, if not dead. Yet here was this probably teenage girl, not only bossing them around, but openly insulting them, and their only rebuttal was skulk back out into the storm.

The girl sighed and her eyes drooped. She was obviously tired. Amber should have been too after walking for several hours and then running nearly a mile in the wet sand, but this new development was too interesting and too exciting to think about sleep. The girl gave the three of them an apologetic look.

"Sorry for being so curt with you at first. It's been a looong day. Mama decided to do her spring cleaning today, and she enlisted Ruby and the other girls to help, so I was stuck with twin-sitting duty." Amber's heart sped up again. Mama? Ruby? Other girls? How many potential comrades did she and Missy have in these hills?

"Plu'o no help?" Hansel whispered, seemingly afraid that the yet-unseen mutant would hear his name being spoken.

The girl let out a little laugh. "He'd be more likely to join in the twins' troublemaking than help me put a stop to it," she said with a smile. "I kicked him out for the day to help Cyst with yard work. Figured he would be of more help with the physically demanding stuff.

"C'mon," she said yawning, guiding them into the open living room. Inside the room Amber saw there was a very old but big couch, an overstuffed recliner, and a rather regal-looking Victorian-style chair along with a few tables and lamps.

"You guys can divvy up the furniture however you like," the girl said. She gestured toward the recliner. "Hansel, I'd suggest you take the recliner and let the ladies share the couch, but it's up to you."

"S'fine wi' me," Hansel replied before collapsing into the chair. He was instantly asleep. The girl let out another soft laugh. Then she turned to Amber and Missy.

"Well, I guess the couch is all yours. It's a lot more comfortable than it looks, and if you arrange yourselves right, you should both easily be able to fit on it." She walked over a dresser with a sizeable drawer and pulled out several ratty blankets. Two of them she tossed over to Missy and Amber. Amber caught one, while the one intended for Missy fell dejectedly to the floor. The third blanket the girl draped over Hansel's sleeping mass. Giving him one last smile, she turned to go back upstairs.

"Wait!" Amber blurted out. Her voice surprised her. It was very scratchy from a lack of use. There was no one to talk to in the mines, seeing as Missy was kept in a separate room, and Amber had given up on screaming long ago. The only people who could hear her either didn't care or enjoyed her tormented shrieks.

The girl stopped and turned back to look at her. Amber didn't know what to say next. She was becoming rather confused. Her initial excitement had given way to rational thought, and drowsiness. Why did this girl have free roam when she and Missy were tied to a bed most of the time? Why were her wrists free of both rope and rope burn? And who the heck could possibly even be concerned about "spring cleaning" in a mutant cannibal-infested place like this? But none of those questions escaped from between her ears. Instead she asked, "Wha… what's your name?"

The girl smiled again. "Kore," she replied.

So, this mysterious entity had an actual name. Suddenly more questions bubbled to the surface and Amber started blurting them out, her voice losing its harshness. "Who's Pluto? And Big Brain-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. I'm tired and I'd really like to go back to sleep," Kore said, putting her hands up. "I'll answer all the questions you can throw at me tomorrow morning, okay? Besides, you two should probably follow Hansel's lead and hit the sack too. Last time it rained this hard, the mines flooded and Hades and his clan had to move into the test village for a few days. Take advantage of the solitude while you've got it. I'll talk to Jupe tomorrow and see if we can keep the sleeping arrangements as is while Hades clan is here. Sound good?"

Numbly, Amber nodded. Missy just stood next to her, staring at the ground.

"Good," Kore said with an approving smile. "Oh, I never got your names."

"Um… I'm Amber," she replied. She nodded towards her friend. "And this is Missy."

"Well, Amber, Missy, it was very nice to meet you." With that, she once again turned around and exited the room. Amber listened as she padded back up the stairs. Then she turned to Missy. The poor woman was still staring blankly at the ground.

"C'mon Missy," she said as she guided her friend over to the couch. As soon as Missy sat down, she crumpled up into a fetal position, wrapping her bound arms around her knees and resting her head on the couch's arm. Amber sighed. Where was the old, Missy? The woman she had looked to for strength when this whole mess started and their fellow trainees were being killed off like flies? Then, it had been Amber who was panicking while Missy calmed her and kept a level head. Where was she? Perhaps she could still be found.

With a resigned sigh, Amber grabbed the blanket off the floor, tossed it over Missy, and joined her friend on the large old couch. She put her head on the opposite couch arm and wrapped the blanket as tightly around herself as she could with the limited movement allowed by the ropes. Tomorrow she was getting answers. Tomorrow she was going to find the old Missy. Tomorrow was going to be better. These three thoughts spun around in her head again and again as she drifted off to sleep, the rain pounding out a lullaby on the roof.


	2. Chapter 2: New Surroundings

Amber woke up to the smell of waffles. For a few seconds she forgot where she was. Waffles. What a normal smell. What a wonderfully normal smell! Taking a deep breath of the aroma, she opened her eyes halfway. The early morning desert sun was shining through a window behind the couch, catching a multitude of dust particles floating through the air. Careful not to kick Missy, who she guessed was still sound asleep at the other end of the couch, Amber stretched her limbs. She glanced over to the recliner where Hansel had been sleeping. The chair was empty. The blanket that Kore had draped over him had been carefully re-draped over the empty chair as if the mutant had attempted to make his make-shift bed.

Allowing her own blanket to fall off her shoulders, Amber groggily sat up. She gave her arms another good stretch while glancing over at Missy. The slightly older Hispanic woman was still curled into a fetal position, but her eyes were open. Amber also noticed that her wrists were now free of the rope that had previously bound them, though deep burns still marked where they had been. Looking down at her own hands, she noticed that they were also free of any bindings. Perplexed, but not willing to question this lucky turn of events, Amber crawled off the couch and carefully folded her blanket before setting it back on the couch. Following her lead, Missy also got up and folded her blanket. It wasn't a huge feat for the average person, but for Missy, who had downgraded herself to little more than eating, sleeping, and breathing, it was an accomplishment worthy of a huge smile from her friend. The old Missy was still buried in there somewhere and Amber was determined to find her. If they could just keep contact with Hades to a minimum while they were here, Amber hoped that she could break through the wall of indifference that Missy had built around herself.

"Morning, Missy," Amber tried. Missy peered up at her through her tangled mass of dark hair and offered a small smile in response. "C'mon," Amber continued. "Let's see if we can find where Hansel wandered off to."

Amber followed her nose to find the source of the waffle-like aroma. Exiting the living room and walking across the entryway, she stopped at the entrance to the dining room. All of the mannequins, which had previously been seated around the table, had been haphazardly thrown into a pile in the far corner of the room. If Amber had turned to look at Missy, she would have noticed that her friend was wearing a perplexed expression similar to her own. The wall on the left side of the room contained a very large window and an open door leading into the adjoining room. Through the oversized window, Amber could see the girl from last night- Kore- sitting on a counter next to a decades-old toaster. Kore wasn't alone, though. Standing awkwardly beside her was Hansel. He was obviously uncomfortable as he fidgeted nervously. Sitting in an old-fashioned wheelchair with his back to the window was a thin man with an unimaginably bloated head and neck. Judging by his raspy breathing, Amber guessed that this was the "Big Brain" that she had heard Kore talking to last night. He and the girl were talking while Hansel quietly toyed with the skin on his knuckles.

"Never thought I'd see the day that Jupe went soft," Kore was saying with a smile.

"it has nothing to do with 'going soft'," Big Brain replied. He took in a sickly breath before continuing. "The women give Jupiter leverage…to control Hades' clan…The last thing we need right now…is for them to start a fight."

"Or for them to let Lizard goad them into one?" Kore suggested.

"Precisely."

Just then, the antique toaster ejected a pair of waffles. Well now Amber knew where the smell was coming from. Kore plucked the two mini waffles from the toaster and hopped off the counter. Hansel moved out of her way, revealing a plate already stacked high with the toaster-cooked delicacies. Tossing the waffles onto the pile, she opened a refrigerator that looked like it came straight out of a Leave It to Beaver episode and pulled out a bottle of syrup before snatching up the waffle plate. As she turned towards the door, Amber panicked. Being that the girl was so friendly with the mutants, Amber wasn't sure whether or not to consider her a friend yet. She and Missy certainly didn't want to be caught spying. Missy turned to run first and let out an ear-shattering scream. Amber spun around to see that Missy had run straight into a mutant who was easily as tall as Hades if not quite as muscle bound. The upper left half of his face was covered in a birthmark, which distorted his eye socket. The rest of his almost hairless skull looked like it had been dented repeatedly with a hammer. Missy's scream had brought Hansel and Kore racing out of the kitchen, Kore still carrying the waffles and syrup.

"Pluto!" she yelled at the giant.

Between the screaming Missy, the stunned Amber, and the yelling Kore, Pluto appeared to be a loss of how to react. For a moment, his confused eyes simply flicked between the three women. Eventually he settled on giving Kore a what-did-I-do look while allowing a low, whining moan to escape from his throat.

During this time, Big Brain had managed to wheel himself into the doorway with his child-sized hands. "Pluto didn't do anything," he wheezed. "Stupid girls were eavesdropping."

Pluto nodded his head. "Uhuh," he grunted, eager to prove his innocence.

"They di'n mean no 'arm." Hansel interjected, taking a couple steps forward to stand beside Missy. Despite herself, Amber smiled inwardly. Even in the presence of a giant who obviously terrified him, the gentle mutant was willing to defend the two of them. Pluto glowered at him, raising his upper lip to reveal a nearly toothless snarl.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter," Kore said, placing the food on the old table. "You two," Kore said, using both hands to point to Pluto and Hansel, "out."

Both mutants let out a whine. Pluto advanced towards Kore, arm outstretched with a pleading look on his disfigured face. Missy and Amber had to scramble out of his way to avoid being run into, but the wheelchair-bound Big Brain had no such fears as he rolled himself directly into the giant's path. Surprising, Pluto actually stopped and peered down at big-headed mutant with his one good eye.

"Do what she says," Big Brain said. "Besides…there are better things for you…to do than listen to 'woman talk'…over _outsider_ food," he added disgustedly. "Pluto, go help Cyst…he should be up by now…And take Hansel with you."

Not waiting for any arguments, he wheeled past the group, across the entryway, through the living room, and into what Amber assumed to be his room. Dejected and defeated, Pluto turned around and walked out the front door with Hansel following behind at a safe distance, leaving the three women alone in the dining room.

"Well, you may as well sit down," Kore suggested. "I need to grab some plates and forks," she said hurrying back into the kitchen.

Not knowing what else to do, Amber pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. Missy remained standing, and Amber noticed that she was staring transfixed at the door Pluto and Hansel had just exited through.

"Missy," Amber said gently, then more forcibly. "Missy."

"Huh?" She blinked rapidly like she'd been woken up from a trance.

Amber pulled out the chair beside her own and patted the seat. "C'mon."

Still glancing toward the front door now and again, Missy sat down stiffly, her hands clenched in her lap. Almost on cue, Kore came bustling out of the kitchen with three chipped plates and three tarnished forks. She quickly plopped waffles onto two of the plates and set them in front of Missy and Amber.

"There you go," she said. "I don't know how long they've been sitting in the freezer, but I think frozen waffles are supposed to be nonperishable, so they should be OK." Sitting down herself, she stabbed a couple of waffles with her own fork and dropped them onto the remaining plate. "So," she said, nudging the syrup towards Missy with the butt of her fork, "I said I'd answer questions today, now that I'm fully awake. What do you want to know?"

"How do we get out of these damn hills?" Amber blurted while Missy gingerly picked up the syrup and dowsed her waffles with it.

Kore hesitated before answering. "I'm afraid that's one question I can't answer, the main reason being that I really don't know." She offered an apologetic smile.

Amber's heart sank, but she persisted. "Well, who untied us?" she asked, showing Kore the scarred pink flesh of her wrists. "Did you?"

"No, you can thank Adelyn for that. Her little fingers are a bit more adept than mine at undoing knots," Kore replied between bites. "Either put syrup on your waffles or eat them dry before they get cold. This is a delicacy around here."

Amber couldn't argue with that statement. It had been months since she's eaten anything that hadn't once been a hapless trespasser in the hills. She would rather starve to death than eat the meat Chameleon brought her, but mutant made sure she ate. He refused to let the first mate his father had ever let him keep starve herself.

Hoping the get more answers, she obediently dumped syrup on her waffles and shoved a forkful into her mouth. "So," she swallowed her mouthful, "who's Adelyn? Is she…normal? Like us?"

"Yeah, she's normal," Kore replied. "She's one of the four non-mutants in the test village. She sort of serves as the doctor around here. She took a nursing class in high school or something like that, I think."

"Oh," Amber nodded. "You said she was one of _four_ non-mutants?"

"Yup. I'm another and the remaining two are Brenda and her niece Catherine. I usually help Cyst fix things up around the village. You know, TVs and appliances and stuff. Brenda's the babysitter, and Catherine's just a baby, so she pretty much does whatever she feels like."

"Can we meet them?" Amber asked hopefully.

"Later. Actually, they'll probably be busting down the door with Ruby any minute to meet you guys. They were all here earlier when you were still sleeping. That was when Adelyn was working on those ropes Hades had you tied with. They wanted to stick around, but I told them to let you two sleep," Kore explained. "I suppose you want to know who Ruby is?"

Amber nodded. "You mentioned her and…Big Mama, I think, last night."

"Uhuh. Big Mama's Jupiter's wife and Jupiter's the leader of this clan. Ruby's their daughter. Sweet kid. She's got two older brothers, Lizard and Goggle, and the twins, Mercury and Venus, are her little brother and sister."

"What about Pluto and Big Brain?" Amber wondered aloud, shoveling another forkful into her mouth.

"Big Brain I have no idea about," Kore answered. "I don't think he has any living relatives. I've asked, but he won't share anything personal. Pluto, on the other hand, is one of Hades' boys. The youngest, actually."

"Really?" Amber asked incredulously. "Hansel never mentioned him. How come he lives here and not in the mines?"

"He's usually pretty sweet, but when he gets upset, he has his daddy's temper. He and Hades never got along. He got booted out of the mines when he was around fifteen, and Jupe and Big Mama took him."

"Oh."

"Any more questions?"

"Um…" Amber thought back through everything she'd overheard since last night. "Cyst. Who's he?"

"Jupe's younger brother and the clan's handyman. He does painting, house fix-ups, that kind of stuff." Kore leaned back in her chair. "I think I've told you about everyone here. Mind if I ask you a question?"

"Um, sure."

"How'd you guys wind up here, if you don't mind my asking."

Amber dropped her gaze as she thought back to the worst day of her life. Missy glanced up from her almost-empty plate.

"We came here on a training mission with our army unit. We were supposed to meet up with some scientists who were setting up equipment in the mines, but when we got here, they were gone. We thought we saw a distress signal up in the hills. Once we got up there, Hades and them knifed our climbing ropes and picked us off."

"I'm sorry," Kore said sympathetically. Amber could see the sadness in her eyes. She meant it. "I came through here as part of a cross-country ride on my Harley almost a year ago. It was a last summer shebang before college, you know? Anyways, I stopped at a gas station to fill up and the owner told me about this real scenic route that cut straight through the hills. I figured why not?" She laughed half-heartedly. "Well, a couple miles into it, I hit a pothole and got thrown from my bike. It knocked me out cold. Pluto found me and kept me upstairs for almost a week," she said nodding to the ceiling. "He tried to keep me a secret, but clearly he's not the sharpest tack in the drawer. He got caught stealing Brenda and Catherine's food- they were here a while before me- and, well, here I am."

"Oh," was all Amber could think to say. They were quiet for a few minutes and Amber resigned herself to looking around the dining room while she finished off her breakfast. Kore appeared to be oblivious to the awkward silence. She was looking out the window with a smile on her face. After what seemed like an eternity, she spoke.

"You guys want any more waffles?" Kore asked.

Though Amber would have loved to indulge more, she already felt extremely full. Her stomach must have shrunk during the past months.

"No, thanks," she said. She glanced over at Missy. The woman gave no reply of her own. She was staring out the window, transfixed by whatever she was seeing. "Um, sorry we couldn't eat more. I mean…you just made so many…"

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure Pluto and Hansel will finish them off." She turned to the window. "Right, boys?"

At first, nothing happened. Then two heads, one misshaped and nearly bald, the other covered on a shock of stringy brown hair appeared from below the window. Two sets of warped brown eyes looked in abashedly at the women. Missy jumped back. Amber caught her upper arm just in time to keep her from falling off the chair. Kore barely glanced at them before she started talking with the two mutants again.

"C'mon you two. Get in here," Kore said with an amused smile. Neither mutant moved. "Well, do you want waffles or not?" She held up the platter.

Hansel still looked unsure of what to do. Pluto, however, allowed a huge toothless grin to split his face before he charged through the front door. Hansel, panicking and not knowing what else to do, scrambled after him. Lumbering over to the table, Pluto grabbed up two waffles with his huge hands and began devouring them. Hansel waited until his brother was preoccupied eating before he snatched up a couple for himself and retreated to the edge of the room.

"Thanks," he mumbled as he shuffled back.

Having finished his first pair of waffles in a matter of seconds, Pluto grabbed two more with one hand and grabbed a chair with the other. He dragged it as close as physically possible to Kore and dropped his large mass into it. Amber, who still held on to Missy's arm, could feel her shaking. She did not like being in such close proximity to the mutant. Amber had to admit, even though he seemed pretty docile at the moment, there had to be a reason Hansel and his brothers feared him.

While they watched the two mutants mow down the waffles, someone knocked on the front door. It sounded timid, but the quiet sound resounded through the old house. Amber, whose back was to the door, turned out around in her chair to see who would come through it. The most likely people would be Chameleon and Letch, come to retrieve them from their little vacation. She could hear the porch's wooden boards groaning as someone shifted their weight. Amber quickly wondered if she could persuade Kore into defending them. She seemed friendly enough, and she had Pluto on her side.

"C'mon in, door's open," Kore called.

The door creaked open as a blonde girl probably about the same age as Kore, stepped into the house. Amber relaxed. It wasn't one of the mutants.

"Hey," the blonde girl said smiling at them. She held open the door as two more girls came in, the smaller of whom was carrying a toddler in her hip.

"Amber, Missy, I'd like you to meet Brenda, Ruby, Catherine, and Adelyn," Kore announced each girl nodding her head when her name was said. The toddler, Catherine, clapped her hands and giggled.

Brenda was the blonde. She was the tallest of the three newcomers and had blue-gray eyes. Ruby, who was holding the little girl, was obviously one of the mutants. Her brown eyes were asymmetric in both size and placement and several of her fingers appeared to be fused together. Even the French braids in her hair were marred by their thinness. The last girl, Adelyn, was a petite, only a few inches taller than Ruby, with black hair, green eyes, and bright purple Converse.

"Hi," Amber tried.

"Hi!" Ruby said cheerfully. Catherine giggled on her hip. Adelyn and Brenda nodded a greeting. Coming over to the table, Ruby sat in one of the remaining chairs next to Missy, setting little Catherine on her lap. Adelyn and Brenda chose to remain somewhat aloof, leaning against the far wall just inside the room. Catherine reached her chubby fingers towards the quickly disappearing waffle pile. Amber looked questioningly at each of the girls, wondering if it was okay to give the little girl the food.

It was Ruby who answered. "You can give her a waffle. You just have to make sure it's in little pieces for her."

Amber waited until Pluto was busy with another waffle before she dared grab one for the toddler. As she tore it apart, the room was awkwardly quiet with the exception of Brenda and Adelyn's hushed whispers to each other. Amber noticed that Kore was giving them disapproving looks, though she said nothing.

There was a sudden bout of yelling outside the house. Two male voices snarled at each other. The first was unfamiliar to Amber, but the second, unfortunately, was not so. It was Hades. Missy tensed beside her, clutching the sides of the old chair. The blood drained from her face in terror and her breathing became shallow. Amber wanted to calm her friend, but now was not the time for calm.

Of course the others heard the voices as well. Pluto growled, knocking his chair onto it back as he got up and stomped out of the house. Brenda, Adelyn, and Kore went to the window investigate the source of the noise while Ruby stayed where she was and held Catherine close. Hansel remained in his corner. Clearly, he was not a fighter.

"Shit," Kore muttered as she peered out the window.

"And it's about to hit the fan," Brenda added.

**So I kid you not, this chapter has been done for a while. I don't know how many times I've read it over and there are still spots that don't satisfy me. I had trouble figuring out the cutoff point for this chapter and, cliffhanger or not, this was the best spot. There is a set plot to this story and I'll try to upload much more regularly this summer. Sorry for the delay. Oh, and thank you for the kind reviews.**


	3. Chapter 3: Introductions

Amber could barely make out what Hades and the other male were yelling, as their words slurred with the increase in volume and anger.

"I wan' 'em back!" Hades yelled. Amber felt the hair on the back of her neck rise.

"No," the other voice answered. It wasn't raised as much as Hades' but each word dripped with venom. "If ya wanna stay 'ere, then they're stayin' at Bi' Brain's house."

Amber dared to go stand by the three other girls and peer out the window. Hades, flanked by Grabber, a nearly-blind bespectacled mutant, Stabber, a large mutant with wart speckled skin, Letch, and Chameleon, was having a stare off with a thin gray-bearded man in a heavy trench coat. That man was flanked by Pluto and three other males. The first had inflamed red skin and wore some sort of neck brace. He had a shotgun, which was cocked and ready to blast any of Hades' clan that made an ill-advised move. The second had a cleft lip and mangled jaw and was swinging some sort of spike strap in a lazy but threatening manner. The last had no weapons, nor did he appear to have much of a face. He had no nose and his mouth consisted of not much more than a horizontal slit above his chin. He stood farther back from the group. Like Hansel, he didn't appear to be a fighter.

Hades glared at the gray-bearded man. "You wan' a fight?" he asked.

"You wan' t' stay in the mines while they're flooded?" the man countered. Hades didn't respond. The man continued, "I dun' wan' a fight, which is why I'm keepin' 'em while yer 'ere. Ya dun like it, then take 'em an' go."

The threat hung in the air. Chameleon, Letch, and the others looked between Hades and the opposing clan, waiting for someone to make a move. Amber took special note of the way Chameleon shifted anxiously from foot to foot, blue-black tongue occasionally slipping out to lick his permanently dry lips. He clearly wanted something to happen, but he didn't dare act without his father's consent. Hades himself stood still as a statue, hands clenched so hard his white knuckles lost all trace of sunburn. He was weighing his options and didn't seem too fond of either of them.

At long last, he let out an angry huff. "Fine," he growled. "Bu' none o' yer boys touches 'em an' when we leave, they do too."

"Deal," the bearded man smirked. He held out a rough hand to shake. Hades merely glared at it before spitting on the ground at the man's feet and stomping off. Grabber, Stabber, and Letch followed close behind, but Chameleon lingered.

The mutant with the cleft lip and the spike strip snickered. "Wha's wrong, 'Meleon? Ain't you gon' follow Daddy like a good lil' boy?" Pluto and the mutant with no face laughed at their companion's jab.

Chameleon bared his yellow teeth and raised himself to his full height. "You better not touch 'er," he threatened before stalking off after the rest of his clan. Well, almost the rest of his clan. Hansel was still with the girls in the house, trying to disappear into the far corner of the room. Cleft Lip simply laughed and threw more insults at Chameleon's back as he left, seemingly unbothered by the venom in the much larger mutant's voice.

Inside the house, several held breaths, including Amber's, simultaneously released. The storm had passed. For now. Missy was still glued to her chair and was visibly shaking. Amber went over to comfort her. Behind her, there was a quick rap on the window and Amber turned to see what was going on. Brenda, Kore, and Adalyn were gesturing to the mutants to come in. Amber's froze. Not more mutants. As if having read her mind, Big Brain rolled back into the room from wherever he'd been holing himself up.

"Did those idiots finally leave?" he wheezed.

"For now," Kore responded as the clan streamed through the front door.

"We'll see if they cause any more trouble when they get back," Brenda said.

The five new mutants joined the group in the dining room. Pluto, docile once more, pulled Kore back over to the chairs they had occupied before the fiasco and resume his consumption of waffles. Cleft Lip went over to stand by Brenda, leaning against the window and still swinging his spike strip. No Face took his place beside Adalyn, silently intertwining his fingers with hers as he also leaned on the window. Neck Brace limped over to a chair and sat down heavily on the other side of Kore, thumping his gun on the floor as he did so. The bearded man remained by the door. He folded his arms over his chest and eyed Amber and Missy.

It was Cleft Lip who started the conversation. "So you two're the ones 'ades is all worked up over, eh?" Amber didn't nod or reply in any way. She was keeping a close eye on that spike strip.

Brenda elbowed him hard. "Put that away," she whispered harshly.

"Why? I ain't doin' nothin'!" Cleft Lip retorted. "Jus' standin' 'ere."

Brenda glared at him. The mutant sighed and whipped the spike strip over his shoulder. "Happy?" he asked.

"You two got names?" the bearded man asked before Brenda could retort.

Amber gave him a once over. He appeared to be unarmed – and unmutated – but who knew what was hiding under that heavy trench coat. What other reason could there be for wearing such a thing in the desert? "I'm Amber," she replied hesitantly. "And this is Missy." Missy only met the man's eyes for a second before returning to looking at her lap.

The man grunted his understanding. "Alrigh' then. 'ere's wha's gonna happen. Yer gonna stay in this 'ouse 'less one o' us goes with you." He gestured around the room. "By 'us', I mean me, Plu'o, Lizard, Cyst, er Goggle."

Kore piped up from her place beside Pluto. "Jupe, you realize they don't know who's who, right?"

"I do. I was gettin' to that," the man growled. "Obviously you've met Pluto and the girls. I'm Jupiter and that's Cyst," he said indicating the man with the neck brace and the gun. "That's my oldest son, Lizard." He waved a hand at Cleft Lip. "And my second son, Goggle." No Face tipped the bowler hat he was wearing at the name. Amber noticed that she hadn't heard either him or Adalyn really say a word this entire time. They seemed to be more on the reserved side of things, contrasting Pluto and Kore's loudness and Lizard and Brenda's snarky banter.

Hansel cleared his throat. Amber had almost forgotten he was still there, he'd been so quiet. "Can… can I stay 'ere, too?" he asked timidly. He hurried on before Jupiter could answer. "I-I can watch 'em, the girls. Make sure they stay in the 'ouse when Plu'o an' Kore ain't 'ere." He lowered his head as he waited for an answer.

The old man smiled. "Actually, I was gonna ask you to stay 'ere myself. Get cher poppa offa my back a bit. Where'd you stay last night?"

Hansel pointed over to the living room. "There."

Jupiter scratched his bearded chin. "Probably ain't a good idea for you three to be sleepin' down here. Got the big window right there and the door… Gives Hades too easy access."

"It's the only room we've got with any real furniture in for them to sleep on," Kore quipped.

Big Brain took a sickly inhale, indicating that he had something to say. "The furniture isn't nailed to the floor… You and Pluto can take it upstairs to one of the empty rooms."

Kore groaned but didn't protest. "C'mon, Pluto, we may as well get to it now." The giant looked up at her, mouth full of waffle, and let out a groan of his own. "I know, I know," Kore replied as she got up. Putting her arm through Pluto's, the two them went over to the living room to begin wrestling with the couch Amber and Missy had slept on last night.

After watching them for a second, Jupiter turned back to Amber and Missy. "You two come with me. Big Mama'll want t'meet ya. And the twins've been clamorin' all mornin' to see ya."

Amber just sat there. It took her a moment to realize that the mutant leader was waiting for her and Missy to get up and follow him. Scrambling to her feet, she dragged Missy into a standing position beside her, though Missy didn't seem overly eager to go anywhere. She pulled back against Amber's grip, glancing out the window where Hades and his clan had been but a few minutes before. Seeing the minor struggle, Hansel came over and gave Missy an encouraging pat on the back. Startled, Missy jerked her head back to look at him.

"S'OK," Hansel assured her. "Big Mama's nice." He gave her a smile that was missing a few teeth. Somewhat calmed, Missy gave him a small smile back. Now Amber had much less trouble leading her friend as they followed Jupiter out the door, trailed by everyone except Pluto, Kore, and Cyst, who had complained that his knee was bothering him and stayed behind.

Outside of the two-story house, the desert sun had already turned last night's mud into stinging dust again. Amber had to squint to save her eyes, however no one else seemed to be too bothered by it. Jupiter said nothing more until they arrived at a rickety little residence a couple houses down the road, though Lizard and Brenda had continued their argument about the spike strap as soon as they were out the door.

"Mama!" Jupiter called as he opened the torn screen door. His call was answered by the sound of breaking glass from somewhere in the house. "Dammit, woman!" Jupiter yelled, stomping down hall. "What you have good plates out for?"

A bald, heavy-set woman popped out from one of the doorways and met him nose-to-nose. "Well, we got guests, don't we?" she said, putting her fists on her non-existent hips. "Ain't every day I get to break out the good china."

Amber heard Lizard snicker. "I don't know about 'china', but she got the 'break' part right," he mumbled.

The woman turned her fiery glare to the mutant. "I heard that!" She marched up to him, wagging her finger the whole way. "Do you have any idea how old that china is? Do you?" She had Lizard backed up against the wall, her accusing finger right under his nose.

Amber couldn't help but find the picture a little amusing. Apparently Brenda, Goggle, and Adalyn did, too, because all were grinning, though the girls were smart enough to hide it behind their hands.

The woman continued her rant. "Those dishes belonged to your grandma and her mama before her. Why, them dishes-"

"Mama," Jupiter interrupted.

"What?" she snapped, spinning to face him.

"Guests?" He nodded toward Amber and Missy.

Mama furrowed the skin where her eyebrows should have been before realization washed over her face. "Oh! I'm so sorry, girls!" She turned her attention to the two women. Now that her wrath was no longer focused on him, Lizard slid down the wall and slunk over to Brenda, who gave him a crocodile grin.

"Shut it," Lizard warned.

Before either Amber or Missy could back away, Mama had enveloped them both a huge, rib-crushing embrace. After a few seconds, she released them to catch their breath. Missy back shuffled a few steps, wary of being violated again. With one woman out of reach, Mama placed both hands on Ambers shoulders and looked very seriously into hers eyes.

"Are you okay, sweethearts?" she asked. Her eyes showed honest concern. Amber was actually tempted to feel safe. However, she knew better than to trust a mutant. Hansel was okay, but this woman she had met only minutes ago. It was too soon to tell if it was safe to let her guard down.

"We're fine," Amber mumbled.

Mama frowned. She could see Amber was shutting her out, but she didn't push it. Instead she plastered a compassionate smile on her lips before calling out over her. "Venus, Mercury! Some people are here to meet you!"

Instantly, a little girl exploded from the room at the farthest end of the hallway. Amber could see she had some sort of tumor bulging from her face. She wore a dusty pink dress and clutched a Lincoln log in her right hand as she ran. She seemed like she was ready to jump right into Amber's arms, but she stopped a few feet short, backpedaled, and hid behind her mother, peeking out at her with a single eye.

"It's alright, baby doll," Mama reassured her. "They're not bad people."

With a bit of a push from her mother, the girl slowly slunk out from behind her and walked up to Amber, keeping her eyes on the floor. Intertwining her fingers behind her back, Lincoln log still firmly in her hand, the girl's eyes traveled up Amber's form until they met her eyes.

"Hi," she mumbled.

"Hi," Amber returned. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop looking at the girl's tumor. It dragged down half her face, giving her a permanent half-frown. "So…" Amber tried, "You like to build with Lincoln logs?"

"Uhuh." The little girl smiled. "This one's my favorite," she said, holding up the piece for Amber to examine. "You know why?"

Amber genuinely smiled. "Why?"

"'Cause it's the biggest one I got that doesn't have no nicks. I don't let nobody touch it 'cept me," she said, pulling the log close to her chest.

"Is that so?"

"Yup," she said. She motioned for Amber to lean down so she could whisper in her ear. Amber obliged, and the little girl cupped her hands around her ear. "But you can play with it if you want to. Just don't tell Mercury."

"Who's Mercury?" Amber asked.

"My little brother," the girl replied. "He's hiding 'cause he's a scaredy cat."

"Where's he hiding?" Jupiter asked.

"In the playroom," the girl whom Amber decided must be Venus informed him. "I told him if he touched my Lincoln logs I'd stuff one down his throat."

"Venus!" Mama exclaimed.

"But Lizzy says that stuff all the time!" Venus protested.

"Lizard!" Mama once again turned her fury the armed man, but Jupiter put a stop to it this time.

"Not now, Mama," he said. "Mercury, get out here!"

Silence.

"Now, boy!"

Still nothing.

Jupiter sighed. "Mama, you go ahead and take everybody into the kitchen. I'll go get Mercury."

Close to three hours later, the group minus Hansel, Jupiter, and Ruby left the house. The old man had never been able to get the little boy to come and meet them, though they had all heard him holler a couple times in frustration. Mama had explained to them how shy her youngest child was whilst offering them what non-cannibal food she had in her cupboards. Though they were both full from breakfast, Amber and Missy had politely accepted what they were offered in an effort not to offend their new "friends". Mama had insisted that Ruby stay behind to watch Venus and Mercury while she did the dishes and got the latest news from the mines from Hansel.

Goggle, Lizard, Adalyn, and Brenda were now walking them back to Big Brain's house. The wind was still causing the sand to fly, but at least this time it was hitting their backs. Brenda was teasing Lizard for being afraid of his mother (though from the lack of conviction in the mutant's defense, Amber guessed that this was a common occurrence). Goggle and Adalyn had silently enjoyed the demeaning of the tough mutant, exchanging grins and glances whenever Brenda made a particularly clever remark.

"You know what, I bet that was you twenty years ago hiding in the playroom when someone came to visit," Brenda said, poking Lizard in the ribs.

"Well, yeah," Lizard snorted. "Only people who came to visit was Hades, Chameleon, an' Letch. They wasn't any more charming then than they are now."

"Because you were such an angel," Goggle mumbled.

"Hey, they always started it. I just finished it," Lizard retorted.

"If getting your face pounded flatter than mine counts as 'finishing it', then yeah, you always finished it."

"You know what Goggle? One of us had to stand up to 'em, an' it wasn't gonna be you," Lizard spat.

"Aw, it's such a shame to see sisters fighting." Suddenly Chameleon appeared from behind one of the house and sauntered up to the group. Missy gasped and tried to disappear behind the other women, but Amber grabbed her wrist and held fast. They weren't in the mines, and Chameleon was outnumbered. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of fear when he didn't deserve it.

Lizard unslung his spike strip and placed himself in front of everyone. "Go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of 'afore I stick this in your neck," Lizard growled, swinging his spike strip.

"Hold on," Chameleon said, holding up his hands. "I wanna talk… to her." He pointed at Amber.

"Then talk, half-breed," Lizard snarled.

Chameleon curled his lip at the insult. "Alone."

"Like hell that's gonna happen," Lizard laughed. "'Til you an' your papa leave, this is as close as you gettin' to any girl."

"Whatever." Chameleon took a step closer and Lizard moved to meet him. They were within arm's reach of each other and certainly within spike range, but Chameleon paid the shorter mutant no heed. He simply glared over his head at Amber.

"Don't get too comfortable, girlie. Soon as we leave, Imma make you wish you'd never left the mines."


End file.
